


Rainbow Love Zone

by masteremeraldholder



Category: Metroid Series, Mighty Switch Force (Video Games)
Genre: Awkward Dates, Crack Relationships, F/F, Flirting, Fluff, Getting Together, Humor, Rated T for swearing, Restaurants, a crack ship that got way out of hand, il them so much!!, tremors - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-26
Updated: 2018-07-26
Packaged: 2019-06-16 18:42:18
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,134
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15443400
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/masteremeraldholder/pseuds/masteremeraldholder
Summary: “Rainbow Love Zone,” Samus reads the restaurant’s name haltingly. “Is this… a gay bar?”Patty almost chokes.“U-um, no! Th-that’s just the name!” Fuck. How could she not have seen this? It was so damn obvious! Now, Samus would think she was hitting on her, and probably beat the crap out of her with that gun-hand-thingy. Nice one, Officer Wagon. “We can go somewhere else, i-it’s no big—”“No, no, this is fine.” Samus doesn’t seem to notice Patty’s babbling as she walks on ahead, opens the door. She even holds it open for Patty as she scuttles behind her. (It was hard keeping up with someone so damn tall.)





	Rainbow Love Zone

**Author's Note:**

> [song](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AEc38g5L3jo) for which fic is named, personally, my favorite song from the msf2 album is dalmatian station, lol
> 
> i love the idea of patty using both her hose and shooter in the next game, so that's basically what i tried to do in this fic :'')
> 
> enjoy!!~~

Patricia thinks nothing of it when she’s called into HQ at one in the morning. Probably another mishap with one of the Hooligan Sisters. It looked like they couldn’t even be trusted to keep things hosed down while Patricia took a quick cat nap.

Patty doesn’t waste time suiting up, as soon as she ends the call, she’s out of bed and into a dirty pair of sweats. Luckily, she lives only two blocks away from HQ. Good grief, she’d have awful bags in the morning.

A yawn escapes her lips as she steps through the swooshing doors of HQ. And then she squints. The lights, the  _ always _ bright lights. It’s too much for her sleep-deprived body at the moment.

It’s only when she hears Corporal Gendarmor’s voice, loud and blaring, that she realizes she’d fallen asleep standing up. So not yummy.

“Patty,” He says, then stiffens. Corrects himself.  _ “Officer Wagon, _ the boss is waiting for you in his office. Do hurry.”

That bucks Patty up. Something bad must’ve happened for the boss to be in this late tonight, er, this morning. What could it be?  _ Gasp!  _ Was she about to lose her job?

Patricia gulps and follows Gendarmor down the hall (also bright) towards the boss’s office. She tries to keep her mind from wandering, but she can’t help but fret. Her _ job. _ It was all she had.

“Corporal,” She whispers to him. “What is it?”

Gendarmor says nothing. He’s always so rigid at HQ. But Patty knows how to make him crack, she’s worked with him that long.

“Gendarmor,” She waits a bit, stares at the back of his metallic cap.  _ “Please.” _

He stops, slowly turns to face her. Yep, that did it. That steady, black eye might look dead and lifeless to others, but not Patricia.

“I don’t know, Patty,” He tells her. “I really don’t. I’m as clueless as you, believe me,” And then much quieter. “I… I’m worried too.”

Yikes. This did not sound good.

Patricia swallows. “Well, whatever it is, we’ll handle it together.”

Gendarmor gives a firm nod. Patty trusts him.

…

“Officer,” The boss says. “Corporal. Come in.”

They do.

The boss’s office is a stark contrast to the brightness of the rest of HQ. Dark and shadowy. Just like the man himself.

The boss is a bulky guy, well, the half of him that is human. The left half of his body is a cyborg. A battle scar. Legend said he stopped the uncontrollable crime on Planetland with his left thumb, and in turn, lost that side of his body. Patty didn’t put it past him.

“I assume you’re curious as to why you’re here?”

“Yes sir,” Patricia says, suddenly feeling rather unprofessional in sweatpants and a tee. Just more ammunition for her to be fired.

The boss clasps his hands, clears his throat, and Patty thinks, here comes the whammy, her entire life down the drain. She could kiss her complimentary skyrise complete with pool and gym goodbye.

Instead, the boss responds, “At twelve this morning, an unidentified object crash landed on Planetland.”

What? She wasn’t being fired?  _ Yes! _ But on the other hand, a UFO crash landing couldn’t be good.

“Where did it crash?” Gendarmor asks.

“The chemical plant,” The boss says, and Patty swallows a sigh. The same chemical plant that was always spontaneously combusting. Barf. “First responders found the aircraft to be severely damaged. There also appeared to be evidence of a pilot, though no one was around at the time of their arrival.”

So… There was an alien fugitive loose in one of the most dangerous areas on Planetland. That sounded like an  _ incident _ waiting to happen.

Patricia’s concern must show on her face, because the boss says, “I don’t have to express the utmost haste that should be taken with this mission, do I?”

Not at all.

“No, sir,” Patty says.

“Good. You should leave right away, then.”

“Yes, sir.”

* * *

The air is thick with smoke. It should be pitch black out considering the fact that it’s so early in the morning. But with the fires ablaze all around, it’s anything but.

Patricia starts in a sprint, keeping ever vigilant. Her radar shows that the criminal’s in the vicinity.

UTD saves her progress as she flips a block  to dispose of an enemy. Patty runs along the path, soaking a few  burning tree s with her IDA before switching to the pellet shooter to take care of a flying enemy.

And then,  she spots a figure in the distance. The pilot.

“Hold it right there!” Patty shouts. The figure goes rigid. Then turns and sprints off. So much for listening to the law.

Using her siren helmet, Patricia  jumps and  flips a launch block,  sending her hurtling after the pilot. 

She flips a standard switch block  to stop herself along with  the pilot.  They fall down into an embankment. Tr apped.

Patty steps forward, pellet shooter raised to fire. “Thought you’d get away, huh?”

The pilot just stands there. Patty takes them in. It’s a— a suit? With a blaster connected to it? How tacky.

“Explain yourself,” She inches forward. “Or it’s gonna get ugly real quick.”

The figure only tilts their head. Then all too slowly raises their hands— hand because one’s a fricking blaster —as if in surrender. And they speak, “I… come in peace, plea—”

“Oh yeah?” Patricia fires back. “Then why’d you run?”

The figure is silent. And then their helmet phases away, and—

_ Oh. _

The pilot is a woman. And… she’s jaw-droppingly beautiful.

(Long, honey blonde hair pulled up in a ponytail, jade green eyes, smooth brown skin, and a small beauty mark right beside her full lips.)

Patty’s grip on her shooter falters for a moment, but she steadies herself quickly. No one would get the best of Officer Patricia Wagon. No matter how gorgeous they were.

(Jeez Louise, everything about this woman was amazing and she hadn't even spoken a full sentence yet.)

The woman says softly, “I… surrender,” And holds out her hand and blaster thing for handcuffs.

Holy moly. She hadn’t expected that. Unless… Was this chick trying to pull something?

But the woman’s face, (her lovely,  _ lovely _ face) is void of anything relating to deception… and any emotion really. Like Gendarmor. Whoa.

Patty clears her throat, steps forward, “No, I’m not gonna cuff you, just,” The woman stiffens at her movement. Was she… afraid? Patty utters, “I won’t hurt you.” And the woman’s face is vaguely apprehensive. Patty wonders if she’s going to run again. But she gives a slight nod and Patricia reaches up— because the woman’s a fricking Amazonian, at least six feet tall —taps her shoulder, activating the Rapid Sparkle Transmission System.

She’s gone in an instant.

Mission complete.

Patricia heads towards the extraction point where Gendarmor is waiting for her, all while the woman is on her mind.

* * *

Back at HQ, the boss leads the interrogation, hammering the woman with questions. Who is she, why did she come here, what did she want, all that hoo-hah. He’s getting himself worked up over nothing, Patty thinks. The woman didn’t seem hostile at all.

Patty observes the questioning through the glass window of the interrogation room. The woman’s very cooperative, answers all of the boss’s questions without raising her voice or trying to pick a fight.

She seems legit.

After twenty minutes of questioning, the boss  leaves, somewhat peeved. Yeesh.

Patricia turns back to the window, watches the woman. _Samus_ _Aran,_ the boss said. She looks tired. Unbelievably so. Her eyes are rather unfocused. And then her hand— again, hand because the other’s a goddamn gun —starts shaking. Tremors.

Patricia knows the feeling. Being stressed or fatigued to the point that she could barely hold her shooter steady. She  _ knows. _

Something tugs at Patricia’s chest, and then she’s moving instinctively, filling a cup of water, grabbing a heart floppy disk or two.

She goes into the interrogation room  and shuts the door behind her with her foot.  Samus’s head jerks up at that. Up closer, Patty can see just how tired Samus looks.  The bags under her eyes. And that still shaking hand. She looks  _ exhausted.  _

Patricia pulls out a chair and sits across from Samus. She slides the cup of water across the table towards the woman in question.  “Floppy disk? I’m Patty, by the way.”

“No, thanks,”  Samus gives a soft sigh, and Patty swears the corners of her puffy lips turn downward ever so slightly. Gosh. She must really hate her. But she does take the water. And gulps down the entire thing.  _ Well. _

“Um,” Patricia taps her fingers against her bare thighs. She hadn’t had a chance to change out of uniform yet. “We don’t have any reason to hold you here, I mean, you seem to be cooperating.”

“I need to get back out there,” Samus mumbles this mostly to herself, her face has gone dark. Bushy eyebrows drawn. She’s _scowling._ _“He’s_ still out there.”

Patricia assumes she’s talking about that Ridley dude. The guy who, according to Samus, ambushed her while she was chasing down another criminal wanted for several charges of robbery. The boss found it preposterous. But Samus did pass the polygraph with flying colors. It had to be true.

But either way, Patty doesn’t want to ask if that’s who Samus is referring to if her face did  _ that _ at the mention of the fucker.

“Okay, okay, I’m goin’ to check on the progress of the release papers,” Patricia stands, heads towards the door. Not before she feels the overwhelming guilt.

She’d arrested an innocent person.  _ God. _

Patty sighs. She knows that it comes with the job, but still. It didn’t feel good to make major mistakes like that.

She has to apologize. It’s weighing too heavy on her conscious.

“Hey, um,” Her hand falls from the doorknob as she turns back. “I wanna say I’m sorry for this whole thing,” Ugh. This sounded so phony. “It was a bad call on my part and… it was really unprofessional.”

“You were just doing your job,” Samus responds after a moment. “I understand.”

Patricia isn’t sure how Samus can take it all so lightly. Especially given the fact that she was in a foreign land that she knew nothing about. Damn. Patty can’t fathom the strength this woman has.  _ Breathtaking. _

“Um,” And Patty can feel her cheeks heating up. She was so, so gay,  _ God.  _ “I-I’m goin’ now… And I’ll bring a compress for your hand.”

At that, Samus averts her gaze from Patricia’s, and Patty isn’t really sure why until she catches the faintest hint of a blush on Samus’s tawny cheeks.

Patricia damn near trips on the way out. Real smooth. 

…

Gendarmor goes about handling the paperwork while Patricia gives her back her things, which just happens to be a pistol of some type. Huh.

“Again, I’d like to say I’m sorry,” Patricia mumbles to her feet. “This was…  _ really _ embarrassing for me, so I can’t imagine what it’s like for you.”

Samus only responds with, “I've been through worse.”

Jeez. Just how badass was this chick?

Just then, Gendarmor walks up, hands Samus her release papers rather ceremoniously. He tells her, “I’m afraid your ship will need extensive repairs done, ma’am.”

“Figured such,” Samus says coolly. No hint of agitation at all. What a trooper.

“You’re free to take one of our vessels,” He reminds Samus. “The boss says it is fine.”

“I’d like to wait for my own, if you don’t mind.”

Patty can’t believe what she’s hearing. Neither can Gendarmor, apparently. He actually looks shocked as he says slowly, “I suppose we can expedite the repairs.”

“Thanks,” With that, Samus turns and heads out the doors of HQ.

Patricia’s sure Gendarmor’s about to short-circuit. He didn’t do well with those who didn’t follow a certain level of etiquette for which he was programmed.

Patty’s about to short-circuit too. But for an entirely different reason. For an entirely  _ gay _ reason.

(Everything about this woman was so astonishing; she was to-the-point and blunt, but also so level-headed.)

(And Patty was done for.)

…

“Y’know, we’ve got hotels. Motels. Whatever’s your preference.”

“I’m fine.”

Patricia purses her lips. “I’m sure we can work something out. It’ll be complimentary. You won’t pay a thing.”

“I said, I’m fine.”

“So, you’re just gonna sit out here the entire time?”

_ Out here  _ was referring to the steps of HQ. Right on the hectic streets of Tangent City. It was the morning rush. Busy. The sun was just starting to rise.

“If it comes to that, yes,” Samus responds.

“It could take a long time.”

“I’m aware.”

Patty snorts, sits down beside her on the steps. Ouch. The hard concrete was not an adequate sitting place for her tush. Samus at least had a full suit on.  _ Lucky. _

A breeze blows. The sun’s shining brightly. Sunlight glints off the metal on Patty’s metal shin guards. Something else too.

Patricia glances to her right, over at Samus, and gasps softly. Her hair. The shaggy, blonde locks were shimmering under the sunlight. It’s like she’s unreal. Too good to be true. And Patty barely knows her. But she wants to know  _ everything _ about her. Her likes. Dislikes. Deepest fears. Darkest secrets.

It’s weird. She’s quite enamored by Samus, and yet… Samus hardly even wants to speak to her.

It could be that this woman doesn’t wear her heart on her sleeve like Patty does.

Or maybe it was because of how rude Patty was during the initial arrest six hours ago. That’s probably why Samus was curt with them before. 

It was all her fault.

Patty breathes, “I understand if you’re pissed with me. I wasn’t very… kind with the entire arresting thing. I was… pushy… and a total ass.”

Samus doesn’t answer right away. But Patty wasn’t expecting her to. “As I said before, it was your job,” Samus begins, placidly. “You were simply doing that.”

“That still doesn’t make it right.”

Samus goes quiet. Stares up at the hazy morning sky. She’s got a pretty nasty scar on her cheek. From battle? Or maybe the crash?

Patty’s still gawking at Samus when she finally says, “Thank you… For the compress. It helped.”

Oh. She’d forgotten about that.

Patty smiles. “It was nothin’. Happens to me sometimes.”

It goes quiet again, and then, “You wield that blaster pretty well. The hose too.”

It takes Patty a moment to realize it’s a compliment. A fricking compliment. She could scream.

Instead, she takes the more logical route. “Thanks. You’ll have to show me how that weird suit thing works.” Because it really does look fascinating. (It was equipped with a goddamn  _ gun.) _

Samus snorts. Actually snorts. It’s  _ cute. _ “Weird is that helmet.”

Oh, she had jokes now.

“Ha,” Patty teases.

Maybe Samus didn’t hate her after all.

…

Patty coaxes Samus into coming with her on her lunch break. It’s this little hole-in-the-wall cafe right across the street from HQ. Patty’s favorite place. Serves the best floppy disk kabobs.

_ “Rainbow Love Zone,” _ Samus reads the restaurant’s name haltingly. “Is this… a gay bar?”

Patty almost chokes.

“U-um, no! Th-that’s just the name!” Fuck. How could she not have seen this? It was so damn obvious! Now, Samus would think she was hitting on her, and probably beat the crap out of her with that gun-hand-thingy.  _ Nice one, Officer Wagon.  _ “We can go somewhere else, i-it’s no big—”

“No, no, this is fine.” Samus doesn’t seem to notice Patty’s babbling as she walks on ahead, opens the door. She even holds it open for Patty as she scuttles behind her. (It was hard keeping up with someone so damn tall.)

It isn’t too busy, thankfully, and usually, the guys work pretty fast for a girl in uniform. But that’s the least of Patricia’s worries. She just hopes she won’t say anything too stupid around Samus.

Soon, they’re seated at a table off in the corner, waiting for their orders. (Samus ordered an energy tank.  _ Au gratin.) _ Patty (timidly) asks Samus to tell her more about what she does as a bounty hunter, because it really does sound a lot more interesting than what Patty does.

Samus tells her that she works for The Galactic Federation, and also some more about this Ridley character being a member of the Space Pirates. And Patty really wants to punch the guy herself. What a dick. Being evil just for the fun of it.

She goes on about some creatures called Metroids, and it all sounds so hardcore and badass, Patricia’s hooked.

And then she sees the exhaustion on Samus’s face.

It had to be hard. Trying to do so much all alone. Patty could relate. (Because the Hooligan Sisters were more troublesome than helpful.)

“Jeez,” Patty mumbles as their food arrives. “Sounds tiring.”

Samus simply says, “This battle is mine… I wouldn’t burden anyone with my duty.”

Patty blurts, “Well, it wouldn’t be burdening if you had a friend to help you with it.”

Samus seems speechless. Patty is too. She can’t believe what she’d just let come out of her mouth.

Samus’s cheeks flush again. And Patty can’t stand the awkwardness anymore, she has to say something else to get that statement out of the air.

“Um, how do you plan on eatin’ with one hand?”

Nice save, Officer Wagon.

* * *

Even being expedited, it takes five days for Samus’s ship to become operable again.

In that time, Samus has seen all that the criminals and baddies of Planetland have to offer. Child’s play compared to what a veteran ass-kicker like Samus would do on a daily basis, Patty bets.

She does get around to showing Patricia how her weird suit works and it’s pretty rad. Along with super strength and missiles, apparently, she can even roll into a ball. Talk about a top-notch suit. Patty’s own uniform is good at three things. Riding up, being super annoying, and maybe taking a bullet or two.

Samus also meets the reformed Hooligan Sisters. And UTD. She likes the dog. The sisters, not so much. But truly, Patty doesn’t think too highly of them either.

Yeah, Samus observes a great deal of what goes on in Tangent City. What the fire brigade and police force go through. And she has but one thing to say.

“Patricia, I don’t believe I could handle this at all.”

Patty’s flattered, really. Confused, but flattered.

…

Patty knows that Samus has to keep her emotions in check for her suit function, but it still hurts that Samus doesn’t show any sign that she enjoyed the time she spent in Tangent City.

The time she spent with Patty.

Even while thanking the boss, technicians, and repairmen, she keeps a level of professionalism. Cold. Detached.

It hurts. But Patricia doesn’t say anything. She doesn’t want to seem clingy. And besides, she’s probably but a mere pebble in Samus’s action-packed life.

She’s telling herself this the entire time. Not to get attached. But she can’t. Samus is far too extraordinary. And Patty’s just… ordinary.

It’s only when Samus is leaving HQ for the last time, heading toward her wicked cool ship that she finally has this stricken look on her face. And she says to Patty, “May I ask you something?”

“O-of course,” Patty blurts.

“It’s about what you said the other day,” And Patty’s wondering what stupid thing Samus is referring to. “About not burdening a friend with my duty… Did you mean it?”

“Y-yeah, yes!” She’s like a bobble-head as she nods.  _ Yes. Yes. _

Samus considers this and then, “Perhaps… you’ll come with me? You are very good with your weapons of choice, after all.”

Total shocker. Patricia can say that she did not expect that at all. (She expected Samus asking for her number? Not this!)

“Wha?” Is all Patty can muster at the moment. She gapes. Stutters. And then she picks her jaw up from the floor, “I-I’m just a police officer. I’m no… planetary hero goddess person—”

“Bounty hunter,” Samus corrects.

“I… I can’t,” It hurts Patty to say it, but even she has her limits. “I have a responsibility to them,” She gestures around them to the bustling Tangent City. “To my team… to myself.”

Patricia could cry. Her she was, turning the woman of her dreams away. And for what? Loyalty to a place that didn’t give a damn about her?

Samus seems to ponder this. And Patty’s chest feels like it’s gonna split in two. On one side, her loyalty to Planetland. To her team. The other side? Samus and the adventure of a lifetime.

And just when Patricia thinks that Samus is about to tell her what an idiot she is, the exact opposite happens. Samus steps forward, leans down and brushes her chapped lips against Patricia’s cheek.

It’s chaste. Simple. Sweet. Exactly what she’d expect from Samus.

(Actually, no. She didn’t even fathom Samus as the first one to make a move.)

Samus says, “I admire your devotion to your home,” And if Patricia wasn’t crying, she sure was now. She knows that Samus’s home, her family… it’s gone. And she thinks that’s the saddest thing ever.

Patty can’t help what happens next, her lurching forward to kiss this incredible woman. She’s on her tiptoes just to reach Samus’s lips, but it’s a bridge she’s willing to cross, because Samus meets her halfway. Then Samus’s hand is on Patty’s pudgy waist, steady and secure. It’s like a dream. And not a soft, sleepy dream— because Samus isn’t soft, nah, she’s fucking shredded. But she’s so warm, maybe it’s the energy from her suit, or maybe it’s the afternoon sun blanketing them in light, but Patty’s never felt this full and complete.

Then all too soon, Samus pulls away, taking her warmth with her. “Perhaps, I’ll see you sometime in the future.”

That sounds so bleak. Not tasteroni at all.

“Maybe so,” Patty squeezes Samus’s hand. “I hope so.”

Samus squeezes her hand a final time, and then she’s phased her helmet back on, and is heading off.

Patricia watches. Watches Samus board her ship to leave Patricia’s life completely trashed.

And then, the boss shows up.

Patty can’t even get a salute in before he flips the script and says, “Officer Wagon. I do believe you should go with the bounty hunter.”

What was going on today? All of these folks telling her what she should do with her life. (No matter how pitiful it was, it was her’s!)

Gendarmor’s clanking down the steps too. As subtle as an earthquake. “I also agree.”

Who asked him, anyway?

Patty gives him the evil eye before she says to the boss, “With all due respect, sir, I can’t leave my team. I love my job. This city.”

The boss steps forward, claps her shoulder. (Ouch!) “An Officer like you, Miss Wagon, is as scarce as hen’s teeth,” Patty’s honestly never seen him this… touchy. It’s scary, yet moving. “Someone with your tenacity, your golden heart… It’s folks like you that keep the world going. I want you to know that.”

Whoa. Patty feels the waterworks coming back. She blinks fast to keep the tears in. Breathes deep. In, out. In, out.

The boss continues, “The Corporal here has already agreed to train the new recruits. You’ve racked up more than enough vacation time. There’s no reason why you can’t.”

“Sir.”

“You’ll always have job security, if that’s what’s eatin’ ya.”

_ “Sir,”  _ She can’t accept this. It was too good to be true. It couldn’t be real… No, no. “I can’t.”

“Officer,” Gendarmor remarks in that monotone voice. “I do believe this is a decision you’ll regret if you don’t take it.”

Here come the tears. Patricia lets them come. Making thick streams down her freckled cheeks. She rubs at her eyes, and Gendarmor’s pulling her in for a hug. He was her partner for the past few years. And she was about to leave him.

“Patty,” Is all he says as he pats her back. “Hurry now. We’ll be waiting for you when you get back.”

Patty sniffles. Stares up at that unwavering, black eye. She’s speechless. There’s nothing left to say.

The boss hands her her gear. Her siren helmet. Shooter. Hose. “It’s been a pleasure, Officer.” He salutes.

Patty smiles. Then she’s racing towards the still idling ship. Her heart is pounding. Her face is hot. And the only thing she’s thinking about is that extraordinary woman in the ship.

Samus throws open the hatch before she gets there, her helmet’s phased off, and she’s wide-eyed. 

“Samus Aran,” She says between catching her breath and grinning from ear to ear. “I’d like to accompany you on your voyage. If you’ll have me.”

“Of course,” Samus smiles softly. It is  _ glorious. _ “Always.”

**Author's Note:**

> [art!!](https://purplecrystalgem.tumblr.com/post/176808220931/patty-and-her-buff-gf-this-is-honestly-so)
> 
>  
> 
> COMMENTS make me happy :'')


End file.
